Crimes ‘unfit’ for TV and "unmentionable" for Chief Justices

Crimes ‘unfit’ for TV - Analysis - DNA:

There is something fundamentally wrong with our systems - social,economic, ethical, political, legislative, judicial and information-communication. We never take a problem by its horns and try to bury unpleasant events under the carpet. This is the sign of a decadent society, which has given in to the " Chalata Hai " culture - permissiveness at its worst. We have given up the hope of bettering ourselves and our society. Our youth is forced to suffer for the "politically correct" stand of our political parties whose Summum bonum is to win elections to capture power. For our political parties power is not a means to an end, but an end in itself.

Even our judiciary is failing us. We go to the courts to get justice, but when women lawyers are denied hearing and justice in the courts and the CJ refuges to register the case as the act is " unmentionable". What a shame?Our judiciary has become the den of various crimes as judges are not only short on ethical behaviour but have begun to appear more and more politically correct.
About our media less said the better. However, Sunetra Choudhary of NDTV24*7 has publicly admitted the shortcomings of TV News Channels in suppressing some news and not reporting them correctly, even when they report.

One of the accused lawyers involved in the incident hails from Bihar. This has punctured the myth of changing Bihar.

Politics: Power shifts | The Economist

Politics: Power shifts | The Economist:

The Indian democracy has been transformed into an oligarchy and a kleptocracy by the UPA2. Other parties also benefit from this kleptocracy, but the main culprit is the Ruling Combine.

Govt to seek review of SC order on judges as CICs -

Govt to seek review of SC order on judges as CICs - Hindustan Times:

One of the casualty of bad governance in India has been the institutional balance created by the Constitution. Appointment, including the appointment of judges, is legitimately function of the Executive, but the Govt's acts of omissions & commissions in appointments raised doubts about the intentions and ability of the Govt to put right people in right places. The ideas of committed bureaucracy and committed judiciary, with a captive media, lowered people's faith in Institutions. In this backdrop the Supreme Court stepped in and claimed for itself a larger role in the appointment of judges. People's distrust of the Govt made the SC's task easy. After tasting blood the Supreme Court wants for itself and the judicial fraternity more & more power. This can't and shouldn't be allowed. The Court should step in only when the Govt fails to put right people in right place.

The Irrelevance of Modern Political Science

The Irrelevance of Modern Political Science — The American Magazine:

If in the land of its birth Political Science( not politics/Rajneeti/ NeetiShastra/ RajDharm) is beginning to be thought as irrelevant, what about countries like India where no first hand or first rate work has been done in the discipline?

The Weaker Sex - Sandra Tsing Loh

The Weaker Sex - Sandra Tsing Loh - The Atlantic:

Are we going to experience role reversal soon? The workplace is likely to be more feminine and housework more masculine.

The Desirability of Bunds

Bunds, Gheraos, HallaBols are Indian contrivance for disrupting the rule of law and making  democratic life miserable.Even though Bunds have not found entry in Wikipedia & dictionaries, they are very popular with Indian political parties. Why are Bunds called? What is the teleological explanation of a Bund? Through Bunds what do we try to achieve?Are Bunds a means to an end or an end in themselves? Are Bunds rational? These questions beg an urgent answer.

If I recollect correctly Bunds were first introduced in Indian polity by the Socialists and Communists. The then Kerala Governor Mr Vishwanathan rightly pointed out that to call Bund to protest against shortage of rice was meaningless as " Bunds do not produce rice." Let us see why are Bunds called? There may three main reasons : 1) to protest against a particular policy or policies of the govt.; 2) to protest against an event; and 3) to show the support of the people for the cause. For these purposes the political system provides for mechanism of political communication and feedback. Why don't the Bund-callers make use of these mechanisms? The Bund-callers wrongly believe that causing hardship to the common people will frighten the side against which the Bund has been called. In public affairs, particularly in a democracy, the argument of reason is more effective than a show of strength and argument of violence. Bunds achieve nothing, cause immense hardship to the people, particularly the patients, children, travelers and daily bread earners. For organizers of Bund calling for a Bund is not a means to an end, but an end in itself. It tramples the Fundamental Rights of others, it endangers our lives, it fosters indiscipline and an atmosphere of anarchy. The time has come when we should firmly say a big NO to Bunds. 

'Foolish and Backward Nation': A Self-Effacing Chinese Satire of America - The Atlantic

'Foolish and Backward Nation': A Self-Effacing Chinese Satire of America - The Atlantic

This satire, ostensibly of the USA, but actually of China, proves that the Chinese Govt is more tolerant of criticism than our own UPA. Had this been about India, the UPA would most certainly have banned it.

A disturbed history

A disturbed history | Cover Story | Times Crest:

A journalistic history of House Disruptions in India. Even in Nehru's days there were disruptions. That was not only Nehru era, but the era of single party polity. Nehru exercised immense influence not only over the members of his party, but on others as well. During Nehru era Indian polity was not so fractured. With conflictual and confrontationist politics replacing the earlier consensual and accommodative politics Parliament became more noisy and prone to disruptions.

Islamism’s turning point

Islamism’s turning point - Salon.com:

After Hindutva we now have Islamism. Researchers on Muslim majority societies have found that there are variations in Islamic beliefs and practices. We believed that Islam was a monolith, but it is not so. It simply means that there are elements of pluralism in Islam also. If that is so it is better for the world and religious fundamentalists of all hues to realise this. The researchers have suggested that instead of Islam we should call it Islams.

Information, Decision-making, and Democracy | Advancing a Free Society

Information, Decision-making, and Democracy | Advancing a Free Society:

There is governmental paralysis not only in India, but the world over. Why? What is the problem -- lack of information about political consumers or the surfacing of real information?

Vote Banks can't wash the blemishes of black-money and corruption

Black money inaction is betrayal:

Ram Jethmalani, a distinguished lawyer, shows in this article the callousness of the present UPA regime to bring back black money back to India. Black money is nothing but the stolen and robbed public money. UPA thinks that trough its cleverness it has created such entrenched vote banks that it would be impossible to dislodge it from power in the present first past the post system. But the anger against the present regime is so intense and widespread that it has the potential of making any Vote Bank bankrupt.

Best Esquire Magazine Stories - Top Articles in History of Journalism - Esquire

Best Esquire Magazine Stories - Top Articles in History of Journalism - Esquire:

Cat among BA pigeons: are our graduates employable?

Cat among BA pigeons: are our graduates employable?:

The journalist does not know that students reading Philosophy are not philosophers nor students reading History are historians. Mr Sibal does not know that the purpose of liberal art education is not to produce employable robots but to make better human beings. The failure of our education system lies in the fact that while we have succeeded in producing technocrats of whatever quality, we have failed to produce better human beings.

Bodoland: The Burden of History | Economic and Political Weekly

Bodoland: The Burden of History | Economic and Political Weekly:

Correct Perspective on the problem of Bodoland and the dangers of myopic politics.

The Meaning of the Attack on the CAG

The Meaning of the Attack on the CAG | Economic and Political Weekly:

Along with Election Commission and Public Service Commissions, the Comptroller and Auditor General was provided for by the Constitution of India to keep India's nascent democracy on track. If these institutions work as intended and as is required by their Dharma, the wrong-doers would not be able to play havoc with the nation, people and democracy. Unscrupulous people would always try to undermine the authority of these institutions and that is what is happening.

India’s ‘silent’ prime minister becomes a tragic figure - The Washington Post

India’s ‘silent’ prime minister becomes a tragic figure - The Washington Post:

Although the general thrust of the article cannot be faulted, the writer has erred on many points. It was not Man Mohan Singh, but P V Narsimha Rao, who should be credited with opening the economy; similarly it was not Man Mohan Singh, but Atal Behari Vajpayee, who should be considered as the architect of the policy of India's close relations with the US. So far as modernization is considered Nehru was a modernizer and so was his grandson Rajiv Gandhi. In fact, MMS is an overrated economist and underrated politician. The remark that " minorities have the first right on India's resources" can't be made by a reluctant politician. How could he make such a stupid, but vote-bank enhancer, remark is still a mystery.
As an economist he should have known that without production there can't be any distribution, but in order to keep Sonia Gandhi in good humour he forgot his basic lesson and embarked on populist programmes which have jeopardized India's growth story.
Man Mohan Singh is a weak man and a weak man cannot be honest.
Tailpiece: Ramchandra Guha, the Sarkari Historian, has been quoted in this article as saying that MMS is "intellectually dishonest."